It's been stated before that it will not matter if the Utah Jazz win the lottery. They are still well-positioned to contend for a playoff spot and maybe even more if the pieces on their roster fit like a glove. However, with all the years the lottery has backfired for Utah, this would be year that all stops.
What makes this year so special? Because of AJ Dybantsa. The prevailing narrative is that Dybantsa will be the No. 1 pick in what has been hyped to be a pretty amazing draft class. In fact, it's already been discussed what Utah's prospects would look like if they got him.
But it extends beyond Dybantsa's talent. His previous ties to Utah have been very well-documented. Though he is a Massachusetts native, Dybantsa played high school basketball in Utah, then played college ball at BYU, and has ties to Ryan Smith. So much so that the tampering accusations have already been circulating, even though we have yet to see the lottery play out.
Regardless, Dybantsa has been one of the rare prospects that has so many ties already to Utah that it feels poetic that he would start his career as a Jazzman.
But if the Jazz win, prepare for the rigged allegations
If Utah wins, it will feel inevitable that they will pick Dybantsa. Because it is public knowledge that Dybantsa knows the state all too well, the league better preapre for fans to call the lottery rigged.
It's just a part of the territory. When Dallas won the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, many believed there was a conspiracy where the league agreed to have them win after they agreed to the worst trade in NBA history. There's no merit to this, but merely speculation. Fueling the conspiracy further was the Mavericks' pretty low odds of winning the lottery, and yet a miracle happened.
Anyway, if Utah wins, they better be ready to be subject to that same scrutiny. The Jazz don't have the same odds that they did last year, but they still have some pretty solid odds compared to the rest of their competition. Unlike Dallas, it is more believable that they could win the lottery. However, Dybanta's history with Utah would still make a lot of people roll their eyes.
It wouldn't matter in the end because on top of getting someone who is well-acquainted with the area, the Jazz would get their franchise player in the making. They've wanted that before and have come up short, but this time, if they win, it would just feel right.
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